Fraser Smith
About Fraser Smith
Dr. Fraser Smith is Chief Innovation Officer and a co-founder of Palladyne AI, based in Salt Lake City, Utah. The company was formerly Sarcos Technology and Robotics Corporation and rebranded as Palladyne AI in March 2024. It is listed on Nasdaq as PDYN. Smith joined Sarcos in 1988 and later served as President of Sarcos Robotics. Equilar's executive profile says he became Chief Innovation Officer in 2019.
His engineering work at Sarcos includes the Bellagio Fountains project in Las Vegas (225 moving fountains), several force-reflecting tele-operated humanoid robots, and 16 robotic dinosaurs for Universal Studios' Jurassic Park-The Ride in California. Before Sarcos, his work covered fracture mechanics, fatigue testing, failure analysis and materials testing. Crunchbase says he holds more than 50 patents.
He holds a B.S. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Toronto and a Ph.D. from the University of Utah. MarketScreener also lists him as a board member of TaskEasy, Inc.
Smith is mainly an operator and founder, not an active angel. Crunchbase lists one investment, one portfolio company, no lead investments, one exit (by IPO) and one company founded. Dealroom lists him among the investors in Sarcos Robotics' September 2016 round. Cottonwood Technology Fund's announcement of that round says the company's three co-founders, including Smith, took part alongside strategic investors. No other angel investments by him are public.
His only listed investment is in the company he co-founded, which now develops embodied AI software. Palladyne IQ is for industrial robots and cobots. Palladyne Pilot is being developed for unmanned platforms. No investments by him in other AI startups are public.
He has not published a stage focus, sector thesis or check size, and none are listed on public profiles. His technical background is in robotics, mechanical engineering, teleoperation and robotic AI. Founders building in those areas, especially in the Western US, are the ones most likely to find his expertise relevant. This is an inference from his career, not a stated investment strategy.
- Sarcos Robotics (now Palladyne AI): robotics company he co-founded. He participated in its September 2016 round with Caterpillar Ventures, GE Ventures, Microsoft and Cottonwood Technology Fund. Crunchbase records one exit by IPO.
- crunchbase.com/person/fraser-smith
- people.equilar.com/bio/person/fraser-smith-palladyne-ai-corp/27710326
- marketscreener.com/insider/FRASER-SMITH-A1G5UB
- cottonwood.vc/sarcos-robotics-secures-investment-from-caterpillar-cott
- app.dealroom.co/companies/sarcos_robotics
- globalventuring.com/blog/2016/09/14/sarcos-brings-corporates-on-board-
- datanyze.com/companies/palladyne-ai/1334329739
- sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1826681/000095017025056810/ars_-_10-k_2025
Investing activity
Fraser Smith has made 1 investment according to Crunchbase across 1 portfolio company, and has seen 1 exit, 1 of them by IPO and founded 1 company.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Fraser Smith
Is Fraser Smith an active angel investor?
Public data does not show one. Crunchbase lists a single investment, in Sarcos Robotics, the company he co-founded. He is primarily an operating executive at Palladyne AI.
What is Fraser Smith's check size?
No check size is public. Neither Crunchbase nor the other sources I found state one.
What companies has Fraser Smith founded or run?
He co-founded Sarcos, which became Palladyne AI, and served as its President. He is now Chief Innovation Officer. His engineering projects there included the Bellagio Fountains and the Jurassic Park-The Ride dinosaurs.
What kind of startups would suit pitching Fraser Smith?
He has not stated a thesis. His background is in robotics, mechanical design and robotic AI, so founders in those fields may find his feedback most relevant. Treat that as an inference, not a stated preference.
Where is Fraser Smith based?
He is based in Salt Lake City, Utah, where Palladyne AI is headquartered.
Is Fraser Smith an angel investor?
Yes. Fraser Smith invests personally as an angel and is Chief Innovation Officer, Co-Founder at Palladyne AI. Crunchbase counts 1 investment and 1 exit.
How can founders reach Fraser Smith?
Founders on Lounge can see Fraser Smith's contact details in AI Investor Contacts (paid plans), check for a warm introduction through members who worked with them under Warm Paths, and add Fraser Smith to their Investor Pipeline to track the conversation.